The shocking and unfortunate reports of accidental drownings are constantly echoed in the media. A young child falls into a pool or a pond, having only been out of their caretakers sight for a moment, but tragically the child is found too late to be revived. Similarly a pet is left in its owners backyard, and while playing near the pool, the animal enters the water, is unable to get out, and becomes an unfortunate drowning victim.
Alternatively, a family is out for a day of fun at a pool, the beach, or while boating, and a pet or a child tires while playing in the water, and becomes a drowning victim.
Certainly, both parents and pet owners are astute enough to realize the dangers inherent in water sports, however the pleasures of playing in the water are often detracted from by the awkward and cumbersome forms of personal flotation device (PFD), which are available. While PFDs exist which are designed to be worn constantly, and which are less obtrusive, these devices are designed to be instantly deployable upon contact with the water. Due to this design, these devices suffer from the disadvantage that they are unsuitable for use in a situation where an animal or pet is permitted to play in the water, and the premature deployment of the device serves no purpose.
Thus, there exists a need for a comfortable and unobtrusive PFD which can be worn while playing in or about water, and which is deployable only when one or more nominal safety parameters have been exceeded.